According to Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), the Air Force and NASA have agreed to a 50-year-lease that will allow the California Air National Guard’s 129th Rescue Wing to continue using Moffett Federal Airfield as its base of operations for the next 50 years. In a Feb. 3 statement, Eshoo said, “At long last the unit known for taking care of others is being taken care of with a permanent home in the heart of Silicon Valley.” She noted that this is the first long-term agreement for the wing and would afford its airmen “much deserved stability.” (Also see The Mercury News report)
General Atomics, the maker of one of the Air Force’s first Collaborative Combat Aircraft, has ambitious plans for its family of semi-autonomous drones beyond the FQ-42, including a flying-wing aircraft capable of carrying out both reconnaissance and strike missions. Meanwhile, the Air Force Research Laboratory announced a new program to…